PETALING JAYA: There is a lesson to be learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, and that is the need to concentrate on helping the poor.
Chairman of the Centre for Public Policy at the Asia Strategy and Leadership Institute, Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam (pix), said this should be the focus of the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP).
He pointed out that since the Covid-19 pandemic hit Malaysia, a large proportion of households in the middle income bracket has fallen into the B40, or low income category.
“We need to have an anti-poverty programme to help the poor, or we may come face to face with social unrest within the next five years,” he told theSun.
Ramon said emphasis should also be placed on TVET (technical and vocational education and training) to lift people out of poverty.
“Under TVET, technical and vocational skills are acquired through formal, non-formal and informal learning. With these skills and knowledge, people will be able to find jobs and thereby improve their livelihood.”
Ramon said there has been a lot of talk about helping the poor, but “nothing has really happened”.
For a start, he said the government could set up a committee comprising politicians and selected members of the public to oversee the implementation of the 12MP.
“We need to learn from past mistakes that have enabled the rich to get richer while the poor got poorer.”
Ramon added that one of the biggest failures was a lack of effort to monitor how the funds allocated were spent.
“We need to rectify this.”
He stressed that the country can no longer continue “with the same old way” if it is to improve the lives of the poor.
“Our economic policy should look after the interests of all Malaysians. We should not be divided by race or religion.”
He said politics should also have no part in economic decisions, as such practice would lead the country to “continue down the same old path”.
Ramon said the government must look after those in the lower income group because the rich are able to help themselves if the right environment is created for them.
He said racial and religious considerations should not play a role in the decision-making process for the 12MP.
“Otherwise, the brain drain will continue. The people expect a plan that will help everyone. We should not single out any group (for special consideration).
“We now have a unique opportunity to come up with an economic plan that will spur economic growth, as we have already seen how Covid-19 has hurt us all.”
Sunway University professor of economics Dr Yeah Kim Leng said the immediate priority for the 12MP should be to create jobs for those who have suffered during the pandemic.
“We need to create jobs to help people return to the lifestyle they were accustomed to while we prepare to upgrade the economy.”
He also said the country should reduce its dependence on foreign labour by moving up the value chain.
“We need to ensure our education system creates the right people to meet our economic needs, and we need to accelerate the creation of high-value jobs,” Yeah added.
